Hartford Joins Sustainable CT!

Good news! The City of Hartford was among pioneering cities and towns that recently joined Sustainable CT, a new statewide initiative to support environmental progress in Connecticut’s cities and municipalities. More than 40 people turned out for the launch event held at the Hartford Public Library’s Center for Contemporary Culture on January 16. Professor Sara Bronin, Chair of Hartford Climate Stewardship Council, welcomed attendees. A presentation about Sustainable CT followed by Alyssa Norwood, Energy Technical Specialist at the Institute for Sustainable Energy.

Sustainable CT is a voluntary certification program that recognizes thriving and resilient municipalities throughout Connecticut. The initiative provides a wide-ranging menu of sustainability best practices, tools and resources and is designed to support all Connecticut municipalities, regardless of size, geography or resources.

Sustainable CT includes a wide scope of actions that can be completed by municipalities pursuing certification. Each action belongs to one of nine different categories including:

thriving local economies,

well-stewarded land and natural resources,

vibrant and creative cultural ecosystems,

dynamic and resilient planning,

clean and diverse transportation systems and choices,

efficient physical infrastructure and operations,

strategic and inclusive Public Services,

healthy, efficient and diverse housing,

inclusive and equitable community impacts,

innovation action

After successful implementation of at least one action in each of those categories, municipalities will be eligible for Sustainable CT certification at the bronze or silver levels.

With Hartford’s brand new Climate Action Plan, the City of Hartford has already made significant progress towards many environmental goals outlined by the Sustainable CT program. The Climate Action Plan outlines steps to improve the city’s resiliency in the face of changing weather by using environmental projects as a catalyst for improved public health, social equity and economic development.

Interested in learning more about environmental work in the city? Follow us on Twitter @hartfordclimate to get sustainability updates!